In-depth interviews with local Haitian volunteers trained in a psychological disaster recovery program called Health Support Team (HST) provide insight into the psychosocial outcomes resulting from their engagement with the program. Qualitative interviews were conducted with four male Haitian participants who had survived the January 2010 Haiti earthquake and had worked as HST volunteers for at least 6 months. Interviews were analyzed using narrative inquiry analysis, which allows individuals to discover and disclose a deeper meaning in their experience and enables the researchers to access more detailed data. Previous research supports the claim that volunteerism provides many important psychological benefits, and the results of the present study suggest that among survivors of large-scale disasters, volunteerism is beneficial as a means of increasing psychological resilience and facilitating personal recovery. Results and themes of our analysis included a reported increase in both hope and purpose for the respondents. Findings suggest that volunteerism on the part of members of the surviving community following large-scale disaster increases resilience among the volunteers and further contributes to their recovery.

Recovery efforts for those in refugee crises or displacement situations often prioritize physical health and safety, whereas psychological well-being is secondary in consideration. Specifically, religious coping has been associated with adaptive psychological outcomes. However, previous literature predominantly centers on Christianity, neglecting other prominent religions, such as Islam. A mixed-methods investigation was conducted to examine the relationships between Islamic religious coping (religious struggle, positive religious coping, and negative religious coping) and resilience of refugees in Jordan. Participants included Palestinian and Syrian refugees living in Jordan in 2014. Quantitative statistical analyses (N ϭ 110), as well as qualitative analysis of interview data (N ϭ 13), were used to assess the relationship between self-reported religious coping, and resiliency. Results suggest that religious coping does contribute and play a unique role in psychological resilience among a sample of adult Muslim refugees.

Through narrative analysis, this paper explores the changes in acceptance of and response to substance use in Muslim culture by evaluating data collected in qualitative interviews in Jordan in 2013. What is known and unknown about substance use in Muslim culture throughout the Arab world from previous research findings provides a foundation from which to explore new perspectives and compare themes between younger and older generations in Jordan. Trends of social change and behavioral expression influenced by dramatic political and social upheaval in the Arab world in the last 5 years will also be evaluated for the way in which they may be influencing both substance use and its acceptance among young adults in this population. Recommendations for future research and work in this area are also provided based on these findings.

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